His final song was one of his most popular, and the one that the magazine itself dubbed his greatest: “American Girl”. And man, did he have passion and heart!

TOM Petty chillingly revealed just days before his death that doctors told him he hadn’t been ill for nearly two decades until suffering laryngitis two months ago.

These are the songs of an U.S. American childhood, regardless of age.

A prime element of his success was the appreciation he showed toward the roots of rock “n” roll.

Tom was an American original, kind of like Gary Cooper.

Maybe I thought I could stop the silence that follows after, or maybe I thought I could curb the tears of millions, falling down thicker than that Louisiana rain. That “finally” hurts the most, as the long hard lovely journey of Tom Petty ended so soon after. It was loved and highly admired by music lovers.

His music is not only proper, spirit-lifting rock, it is comforting and honest too, and the meaning behind much of it – “I Won’t Back Down” springs to mind – seems as important now as ever.

Petty also was also a guy that people wanted to work with.

How many joints have been smoked to “Mary Jane’s Last Dance?”

Over four decades, he spun a soundtrack describing an array of disillusioned American girls who were raised on promises and were insane about Elvis – but eventually became hardened enough to make a yuppie stick his head in the oven.

Discerning Catholics will not necessarily care for everything Tom Petty had to say, and certainly should not care for everything Taylor Swift has to say.

Petty’s albums included “Damn the Torpedoes”, “Hard Promises” and “Full Moon Fever”, although his first No. 1 did not come until 2014 and “Hypnotic Eye”.

All those years, he was just getting warmed up! RIP, Tom. Thank you for Runnin’ down your dream. Our idiot president is lobbing paper towels at survivors of a natural disaster and telling them they should be “very proud” they didn’t die in a “real catastrophe.” When I finally made it to class, the teacher gave me a menacing glare and asked where I had been, noticing the earbud hanging from my left ear. COURTESY of Wikimedia commons.